Any positives: Everything is in place for this team to make strides. They have two of the NFL's best weapons at their respective positions in RB LaDainian Tomlinson and TE Antonio Gates and a versatile 3-4 defense led by Wade Phillips. WR Keenan McCardell has stepped up his game and become the team's clear go-to wide receiver.

The confidence from last year's 12-4 record remains in place.

What's not working: The Chargers aren't finishing teams off, blowing late leads to both the Cowboys and the Broncos in successive weeks. Tomlinson has suggested he is being underutilized, which he is, especially in the fourth quarter and in the passing game. He had caught at least one pass in every game of his four-year career until the two games this season, in which he was blanked. Some of that has to do with him being forced to stay in to block, as leaks have formed in the offensive line, especially when it comes to handling blitzes.

The suspension of TE Antonio Gates in the opener didn't help, as the Chargers' potential game-winning drive stalled inside the 10-yard line. Their schedule is brutal, and a once inconsistent pass rush that was supposedly improved through the draft has been nonexistent at times.